# caoin
## Irish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /kiːnʲ/

### Etymology 1

From Old Irish caín.

#### Adjective

caoin (genitive singular masculine caoin, genitive singular feminine caoine, plural caoine, comparative caoine)
* smooth, delicate, polished
* kind, gentle, refined

##### Declension

$^1$ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article. $^2$ When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

### Etymology 2

From Middle Irish caín (“smooth finished side; especially the outer surface of a wall, etc.”), a substantivization of caín (“fine, beautiful”).

#### Noun

caoin f (genitive singular caoine)
* smooth surface

##### Declension

bare forms
case
singular
nominative
caoin
vocative
a chaoin
genitive
caoine
dative
caoin
forms with the definite article
case
singular
nominative
an chaoin
genitive
na caoine
dative
leis an gcaoin don chaoin :

### Etymology 3

From Middle Irish caínid, from Old Irish coínid, from Brythonic (compare Welsh cwyn (“lament”)).

#### Verb

caoin (present analytic caoineann, future analytic caoinfidh, verbal noun caoineadh, past participle caointe)
* (transitive, intransitive) keen, lament
* (transitive, intransitive) cry, weep

##### Conjugation

| | | singular | singular | singular | plural | plural | plural | relative | autonomous |
| | | first | second | third | first | second | third | relative | autonomous |
| indicative | present | caoinim | caoineann tú; caoinir$^†$ | caoineann sé, sí | caoinimid | caoineann sibh | caoineann siad; caoinid$^†$ | a chaoineann; a chaoineas / a gcaoineann* | caointear |
| indicative | past | chaoin mé; chaoineas | chaoin tú; chaoinis | chaoin sé, sí | chaoineamar; chaoin muid | chaoin sibh; chaoineabhair | chaoin siad; chaoineadar | a chaoin / ar chaoin* | caoineadh |
| indicative | past habitual | chaoininn / gcaoininn‡‡ | chaointeá / gcaointeá‡‡ | chaoineadh sé, sí / gcaoineadh sé, sí‡‡ | chaoinimis; chaoineadh muid / gcaoinimis‡‡; gcaoineadh muid‡‡ | chaoineadh sibh / gcaoineadh sibh‡‡ | chaoinidís; chaoineadh siad / gcaoinidís‡‡; gcaoineadh siad‡‡ | a chaoineadh / a gcaoineadh* | chaointí / gcaointí‡‡ |
| future | future | caoinfidh mé; caoinfead | caoinfidh tú; caoinfir$^†$ | caoinfidh sé, sí | caoinfimid; caoinfidh muid | caoinfidh sibh | caoinfidh siad; caoinfid$^†$ | a chaoinfidh; a chaoinfeas / a gcaoinfidh* | caoinfear |
| conditional | conditional | chaoinfinn / gcaoinfinn‡‡ | chaoinfeá / gcaoinfeá‡‡ | chaoinfeadh sé, sí / gcaoinfeadh sé, sí‡‡ | chaoinfimis; chaoinfeadh muid / gcaoinfimis‡‡; gcaoinfeadh muid‡‡ | chaoinfeadh sibh / gcaoinfeadh sibh‡‡ | chaoinfidís; chaoinfeadh siad / gcaoinfidís‡‡; gcaoinfeadh siad‡‡ | a chaoinfeadh / a gcaoinfeadh* | chaoinfí / gcaoinfí‡‡ |
| subjunctive | present | go gcaoine mé; go gcaoinead$^†$ | go gcaoine tú; go gcaoinir$^†$ | go gcaoine sé, sí | go gcaoinimid; go gcaoine muid | go gcaoine sibh | go gcaoine siad; go gcaoinid$^†$ | — | go gcaointear |
| subjunctive | past | dá gcaoininn | dá gcaointeá | dá gcaoineadh sé, sí | dá gcaoinimis; dá gcaoineadh muid | dá gcaoineadh sibh | dá gcaoinidís; dá gcaoineadh siad | — | dá gcaointí |
| imperative | imperative | caoinim | caoin | caoineadh sé, sí | caoinimis | caoinigí; caoinidh$^†$ | caoinidís | — | caointear |
| verbal noun | verbal noun | caoineadh | caoineadh | caoineadh | caoineadh | caoineadh | caoineadh | caoineadh | caoineadh |
| past participle | past participle | caointe | caointe | caointe | caointe | caointe | caointe | caointe | caointe |
* indirect relative † archaic or dialect form ‡‡ dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis

##### Related terms

* éagaoin

##### Descendants

* → English: keen

### Mutation

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish. All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

### Further reading

* Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “caoin”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
* Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 caín”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
* Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 caín”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
* Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “caínid”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
* de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “caoin”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
* “caoin”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2025
* Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry [Phonetics of an Irish Dialect of Kerry] (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, page 55

## Scottish Gaelic
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /kʰɯːɲ/

### Etymology 1

From Middle Irish caínid, from Old Irish coínid, from Brythonic (compare Welsh cwyn (“lament”)).

#### Verb

caoin (past chaoin, future caoinidh, verbal noun caoineadh, past participle caointe)
* mourn, lament, grieve
    Synonym: caoidh
* cry, weep
    Synonym: guil

### Etymology 2

From Middle Irish caín (“smooth finished side; especially the outer surface of a wall, etc.”), a substantivization of caín (“fine, beautiful”).

#### Noun

caoin f (genitive singular caoine, no plural)
* exterior, outer side (of garment)
    Antonym: ascaoin

##### Derived terms

* caoin air ascaoin (“inside out”)

### Mutation

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic. All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

### References

* Edward Dwelly (1911) “caoin”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎, 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
* Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 caín”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
* Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “caínid”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language